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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodists together |
November/December 2005 |
South Bend's Clay church prepares for expansion
By Karen Rivers
Seven and a quarter million.
That's the official price tag for South Bend's Clay United Methodist Church, working to renovate its old facility and embark on an expansion project.
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"People's ability to connect with each other allows them to open up to God." - Jared Jennette |
It sounds like quite a challenge for a congregation of 1,200, but for the people of Clay, it's not about counting dollars and cents. It's about focusing on their religious mission.
"It's been a very exciting time for us. It hasn't felt like fundraising. It feels like working toward a vision," said the Rev. Herb Buwalda, senior pastor.
"If you're committed to leading others toward faith in Jesus Christ, you can't have a space that's too small."
Clay plans to renovate its current building on Cleveland Road while adding new facilities on Ironwood Road. So far, the church has raised almost $3 million.
Prayer walk
The congregation also has been getting acquainted with the new property through a prayer walk.
At the Ironwood site, members of the congregation were invited to make their way along six different prayer stations before "planting a butterfly" at the end of the journey.
Butterflies, of course, are a symbol of renewal. To create their butterflies, the church used kites attached to wooden stakes.
About 200 kites are now flapping in the wind, scattered around the landscape. Some are on the well-worn path of the prayer walk; some are perched quite a distance away, where people seemed to have wandered lost in thought.
"A prayer walk gave people the opportunity to reflect on the Scripture and then to leave a little something there. ... (The butterflies represent) people praying for their own future and the future of Clay," said the Rev. Kim Bloom, pastor of care and spiritual life.
Outgrew its building
Over the years, Clay outgrew its building, which opened in 1969, and has undergone three or four expansions. On busy Sundays, Buwalda has taken to joking with people to hurry up and move their cars.
That, of course, is not what he and the other pastors want. They want the congregation to linger, to talk and drink coffee, to participate in fellowship.
Among the features at the new facility are a 600 seat sanctuary, an 80-seat choir loft, more classroom space, and a large cafe and fellowship area.
The church also will be surrounded by a park, which Clay is excited to share with the neighborhood.
"Fellowship is a big part of what our church is about. People's ability to connect with each other allows them to open up to God," said the Rev. Jared Jennette, pastor of youth and young adults.
Under the expansion plan, the current facilities would become a dedicated youth space. Since 2001, Clay has boasted a well-attended youths-only service that is led by the youths themselves.
"(Having our own space) has been a goal, really a dream," Jennette said.
Clay hopes to break ground on the new facilities in spring 2007. Until then, there is a lot of work to do.
"It's like getting the house ready for guests," Buwalda said. "It feels like preparing for our family, and that family is our brothers and sisters in Christ."
Karen Rivers serves as a staff writer for the South Bend Tribune. This story was used with permission of the South Bend Tribune.
Last updated on 25 Apr 2008